BELLEFONTE — The people left without a home after the Hotel Do De fire last week are moving forward with finding housing, and the temporary shelter set up for them will close today.

The American Red Cross shelter at Trinity United Methodist Church on Howard Street once accommodated more than a dozen people and provided a place to sleep and eat. Since last week, local organizations have been working with them to figure out their housing and other needs.

The shelter’s wrapping up was the result of that.

“People were making progress,” said Romayne Naylor, the coordinator for the local Red Cross chapter. “They needed to have things lined up, and it was time to close.”

Some people are facing situations where they’ll have to wait a month or so until an apartment opens up. In the meantime, they’ll stay with families, officials said.

There are folks who have found rentals in Bellefonte.

A family of six that lived in an apartment behind the Do De building will stay with relatives as they work out the details of a potential place to live, which Naylor said would be finalized soon.

As they packed up Tuesday afternoon, they gave Naylor a hug and thanked her for the Red Cross’ help.

Two people will live in a State College building that was not rented out this year and had been vacant.

Two of the male residents will move to Centre House, which is run by State College-based Housing Transitions Inc. One of them is a 59-year-old man who asked not to be identified.

He said he was grateful to the Red Cross.

“They’ve been great. They bend over backwards to help us,” he said. “If we need to do something, all we have to do is ask.”

Naylor estimated only three, maybe up to five, people would have to spend Tuesday night at the shelter, which will close today by noon.

Natalie Corman, the director of Centre County’s Office of Adult Services, said finding affordable housing was difficult, and it was exacerbated by the situation in State College in which residents of two mobile home parks were given eviction notices.

“It’s been difficult to find the stock,” she said. “But we’ve called landlords we know to work with them in hopes of finding rentals.”

Last week and this week, donations from Bellefonte and beyond have poured in. Churches, restaurants and other local groups have donated every meal that the residents ate.
Local people have donated household goods and clothing.

Naylor said the Bellefonte Eagles Club and the FaithCentre are collecting gift card donations for department stores and grocery stores to benefit the Do De residents as they set up their new homes.

Mike Dawson can be reached at 231-4616. Follow him on Twitter @MikeDawsonCDT